I continue to support the Takoma Park Minor Master Plan Amendment. The Takoma Park MMPA’s zoning changes provide an opportunity for the City to have more rental units, both affordable and under the jurisdiction of our rent stabilization ordinance, and create more homeownership opportunities
I have previously written on this topic on August 1st, 2023.
Consideration of the County Executive’s Racial Equity and Social Justice Review
The analysis on the Takoma Park Minor Master Plan Amendment, commissioned by County Executive Marc Elrich, is found here, pages 43-50.
The three conclusions drawn by this memo are:
There is an “arbitrary plan boundary”
There were “community engagement gaps”
The Plan’s use of “weak language”
Some people have claimed that the Takoma Park City Council and Montgomery Council did not properly review this information; I disagree with that assertion.
The Takoma Park MMPA boundary was set by the sitting City Council on July 7, 2021, by a unanimous vote, which was then Mayor Stewart, Councilmember Kovar, Councilmember Dyballa, Councilmember Kostiuk, Councilmember Seamens, Councilmember Smith, and Councilmember Searcy. Resolution 2021-22
The City Council members at the time saw the amendment plan as an opportunity to update an aging 2000 Takoma Park Master Plan. The areas that were included in the Takoma Park MMPA were advocated for by the councilmembers representing those wards.
An extensive effort was made in order to engage with Takoma Park residents throughout and adjacent to the MMPA boundaries, as is detailed here in the Takoma Park MMPA Appendix A.
From the Montgomery County Planning section on Equity in the Planning Process:
Multilingual canvassing at multifamily properties along Maple and Lee avenues (239 in-person interviews) and Washington Adventist University (85 interviews).
Translation of engagement materials in Spanish, French and Amharic
Outreach at farmers’ markets and “pop-up” efforts at neighborhood retail centers.
Meetings with civic and homeowners’ associations, community, and neighborhood organizations.
Regular communication with City of Takoma Park staff and City Council
An online questionnaire.
Posting signage throughout the plan area.
Participating in community events, including National Night Out and Bike to Work Day.
Hosting a community Open House in October 2022 (100+ attendees).
As stated in Mayor Searcy’s letter to the Montgomery County Council:
“The City and M-NCPPC staff then worked collaboratively to bring a robust engagement to residents in the community. This engagement included door-to-door surveying, table sitting at numerous community events on Maple Avenue, monthly newsletter articles and other mailers, and community presentations and meetings hosted by City staff, M-NCPPC, or City Councilmembers.”
I personally walked throughout Ward 5 with our Summer RISE students to put flyers on doors and at Essex House to advertise the meeting that Councilmember Honzak held on July 18th, 2023.
The Takoma Park Minor Master Plan is more forceful with its definition of “no net loss of affordable housing” than we have seen in other plans approved by the County Council.
“No net loss of affordable housing requires that all affordable housing units (both naturally occurring and income-restricted units) lost through demolition be replaced or rebuilt.”
County Executive Elrich pointed out in his memo:
“Councilmember Jawando stated he understood that unless projects for individual large apartment buildings included no-net-loss, the project would not be approved, and Planning Board Chair Artie Harris agreed with this statement at the session.”
He further stated that this is not explicitly stated in the Takoma Park MMPA, however this is part of the public record and the understanding of both the Montgomery County Council and the Takoma Park City Council, both of which will hold them accountable during the development process.
There are parts of the Equity Analysis memo that seem to refer to the County’s Thrive 2050 General Plan or other County policies, such as a reference to “directly stating that the biggest issue is ‘concentrations of poverty,’” which is not stated in the Takoma Park MMPA. Our City Council strives to create policies that will support inclusivity throughout all parts of the city. Racial equity calls for diversifying types of residential; by diversifying housing stock throughout the City, income levels will also diversify throughout the City.
The City Council recognizes that creating the type of development that we as a city envision is not an easy task, but it is one that will be done through good policies, from our city, county and state, not in a zoning plan.
Our Mayor’s Authority
From the Charter of Takoma Park, section 303 (a): “the Mayor shall be recognized as head of the City government for all intergovernmental affairs”
Most of the conditions the City council requested in Takoma Park City Council Resolution 2023:38 (voted 6-1 on December 13, 2023 as referenced in the Mayor’s letter) were adopted by the Planning Board during their Work Session Number 6 on December 14, 2023. One item they did reject, recommending that Takoma Park change its rent stabilization policy, was then removed by the County Council during its session on the MMPA. The Montgomery County Council also increased the MPDU requirement for the MMPA from 12.5% to 15%.
After these changes were made in accordance with Takoma Park City Council’s Resolution supporting the MMPA and after all councilmembers reviewed the memos from the County Executive, it was reasonable that Mayor Searcy would only check in with members of the City Council to see if their votes had changed and convening was necessary. There was no secret closed meeting.
The Mayor is effective in working with our County Council. When she requested they delay a vote on the Takoma Park MMPA until receiving the County Executive’s memo, they obliged her request and didn’t require a formal resolution from the City in order to do so.
Under the Mayor’s leadership, the City Staff has been considering equity considerations highlighted in the County Executive’s memo as issues to be addressed by policies, not through the zoning.
Displacement Concerns
Many of our rental properties on Maple Avenue are protected by covenants/easements for years to come. There is not a pathway for the landlords/property owners to opt out of these covenants before their expiration date. Due to the rent stabilization in Takoma Park, rental property prices have held a lower market rate making them more affordable to nonprofits, who have taken advantage of that lower price and now own properties within the MMPA.
In the Takoma Park MMPA that residents will have the right to move back into buildings after renovations/rebuilds. The City Council passed Ordinance 2023-17 in 2023 regarding tenants rights due to displacement from their residences being condemned. In the past, when renters have experienced displacement, City Staff have often been involved in the process of finding tenants comparable housing until their homes were once again available. It is possible that the City would be a partner in finding temporary housing while apartments are under construction. Our Housing and Community Development Department is trying to find ways to encourage development within our rent stabilization confines. One proposal they have brought before council is for a “New Multifamily Housing Tax Credit” which would only apply to added units.
The MMPA is written to encourage infill on properties, not to instigate tearing down buildings. The most likely outcome will be the addition of more rental units. These units will exist within a rent stabilization market that many other units already exist in. The “Market Rate” for these new units, which will be neighboring deeply affordable housing (Takoma Park’s median rent is about ⅔ of Montgomery County’s rent), is unlikely to be able to set a significantly higher rent comparatively.
Takoma Park has seen rental units disappear from the market over the last thirty years. This isn’t because landlords “don’t need the money,” but because the costs incurred by landlords outweigh the profits they are making. Many of the single family homes throughout Ward 1 were once split into multiple units but are now being used by one household. As land values increase and people choose to age in place, we can expect homeowners to continue to build larger houses that reflect the increasing value of the land they sit on.
Environmental Considerations
The Takoma Park MMPA has two different sections that cover environmental considerations. Appendix D is a broad look at the environmental requirements for development within the zoning area while Climate Assessment “evaluates the anticipated impacts” ”on the county’s GHG emissions and reductions.” Due to the large amount of impermeable concrete and asphalt surfaces, there is a lot of room for improvement with regards to stormwater management. Takoma Park’s stricter tree ordinances and stormwater management practices will be required of any development. It specifically states the goal “an overall 60% tree canopy cover within the plan area.”
Developers are Leading the Charge
The City is not currently working with a developer on a plan for the Maple Avenue Corridor of the Takoma MMPA. It is not from a desire to appease developers that the City Council seeks to build new housing and rehabilitate older housing, but from a housing shortage experienced all throughout the DC metro area and from the right of residents to live with dignity in all of Takoma Park. While upzoning may increase the property values, the City Council and Staff are concerned about the rising property values and the threat of displacement without a zoning change. We have left flexibility in the Takoma Park MMPA not only to entice developers, but to create more possibilities for us to meet the needs of our residents during negotiations in the development process. We need the diversity of affordable rental housing and opportunities for middle income families to own their homes. We need flexibility to attract new employment opportunities with the loss of the hospital.
Development will Disregard School Capacity
School capacity is one of the limiting factors of development. There have been school capacity issues within MCPS that have placed moratoria on building. Our City Council continues to talk about how to get Piney Branch Elementary School its needed renovation. Mayor Searcy provided testimony to MCPS through a letter on November 6, 2023 requesting that Piney Branch Elementary School be included in the MCPS CIP for 2025-2030 and followed up with a letter to the Montgomery County Council on March 10, 2024 advocating for that addition to the budget.
Sources for deeper reading:
https://www.mwcog.org/community/planning-areas/housing-and-homelessness/regional-housing-initiative/
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